Will Alexander Gustafsson ever win a title in the UFC(Opinion)
Alexander Gustafsson is one of the many nearly men who have fought in the UFC during its near three decades of existence. As he makes his return to the octagon this weekend at heavyweight, a pertinent question will come up, especially if he wins against former champion Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum.
If we are to believe what Gustafsson has been saying this whole week, then a fight against an aging Werdum should be the least of his problems. Assuming Gustafsson wins at Fight Island, he will still have an arduous journey to the top of the heavyweight division.
Alexander Gustafsson’s retirement after his loss against Anthony Smith seemed understandable, but it was also a decision taken in the heat of the moment. Gustafsson billed himself as a terrible loser and thought retirement was the right call after being defeated for the second time in front of his adoring Swede fans.
Gustafsson’s move up to heavyweight is understandable as he had reached an impasse at light heavyweight after he failed to defeat Jon Jones back at UFC 232. That ended “The Mauler’s” hopes of winning the light heavyweight strap after coming so close against both Jones and Daniel Cormier, two of the all-time greats of the sport.
Alexander Gustafsson was a big guy for light heavyweight and his 79-inch reach along with a 6-foot-5 frame means most behemoths at heavyweight wouldn’t dwarf him either. Alexander Gustafsson also possesses some of the best hands in the UFC period, and that could be an enormous advantage for him going forward.
While I don’t envision Gustafsson facing many problems from guys ranked outside the top five, those ranked within it will pose the Swede some monumental challenges. Alexander Gustafsson’s most recent losses have all been due to him being taken down or put in uncomfortable grappling positions.
His last fight against Anthony Smith before his pseudo-retirement saw him submitted with a rear-naked choke. The rematch of the best light heavyweight title fight saw him being mauled on the ground by Jones for significant portions of that fight.
The only conclusion seems at this point like Alexander Gustafsson has slacked off a bit in terms of training takedown defense, which was a key reason the first fight between him and Jones turned out the way it did. If Gustafsson is to win a title at Heavyweight, he will have to sharpen and hone those skills again to a level where he can keep the fight standing against guys like Curtis Blaydes and the champ Stipe Miocic himself.
Miocic is 37 years old though, and the champ has looked less and less interested in recent times in fighting inside the octagon, after the way they treated him after his loss against Cormier at UFC 226. Daniel Cormier retiring after UFC 252 should be an enormous relief for Alexander Gustafsson, considering the way “DC” had manhandled Gustafsson in the grappling aspects of their fight at UFC 192.
Another problem, and I feel the most significant one for Gustafsson will be that of Francis Ngannou, who has looked unstoppable in his recent fights after that snooze-fest against Derrick Lewis. Ngannou has destroyed all of his last four opponents combined in two minutes and 42 seconds and has Mike Tyson's kind of power in his hands.
Ngannou’s only kryptonite seems to be the same as that of Alexander Gustafsson, which is wrestling. But no one other than the champion has dominated Ngannou on the ground with even grapplers like Curtis Blaydes wilting under his punching power.
That could be the spikiest of thrones for Alexander Gustafsson to navigate if he envisions himself winning gold up a weight division from where he started. But if he can do it, then coming out of retirement may just be worth it for “The Mauler”.